Announcements

Apply to be an editor in the newly formed Population Health Journal

We are in the process of establishing the Population Health Journal, and are inviting applications for people to join the editorial committee to help shape this initiative.

We intend that the Population Health Journal adheres to the values set out below, is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), gains membership of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and is published on the University of Glasgow Open Journal System (OJS) platform (the University of Glasgow is responsible for guaranteeing the archiving of the Population Health Journal). For the foreseeable future, we will publish only in the English language.

We are motivated to create a new journal for three principal reasons.

First, there are now very few established journals that are free for both authors and readers. Most established journals make money by charging either authors to publish their work as ‘open access’ which allows readers to see it for free, or charge readers (sometimes through university or NHS libraries) for access. Reader charges are undesirable because this prevents potential users from accessing material, and it goes against principles of transparency and public interest for research that is largely created through public funding. Increasing costs means that even academics working in large universities find it difficult to find money to pay access costs for their work, unless this is part of a large grant-funded programme. There is therefore an urgent need for an alternative publishing model.

Second, journal editors are increasingly finding it difficult to find people willing to undertake peer review. It is not uncommon for twenty or thirty people to be asked to review a paper for two to agree, creating lengthy delays and frustration for authors and editors. This is an increasingly unsustainable situation which stems from fundamental flaws in the publishing industry as well as too many people wishing to be authors on papers without undertaking roles as peer reviewers. The Population Health Journal will operate a new model whereby authors and peer reviewers form a community in which there is an obligation upon authors to contribute to reviewing within their area and within a reasonable time frame in return for submitting their work for review. 

Third, there is now recognition that too many academic publishers have an extractive business model. Journals pay neither authors, reviewers nor editors (except in the largest journals), yet they profit from the free labour ultimately paid for largely by the public through universities. The rise of predatory publishers, which make money from publishing high volumes of low-quality research, using a superficial review process and article processing fees from authors, further complicates the commercial environment. The Population Health Journal will be a not-for-profit journal, with charges for neither readers nor authors, facilitated by the support of the University of Glasgow. This will mean that some tasks (e.g. typesetting) will have to be undertaken by authors themselves, but this will be supported through the use of simple templates. 

We have four aims for the Population Health Journal:

  1. To provide a credible and high-quality publication platform for population health[1] research and associated discussion without costs to readers or authors.
  2. To create a community of practice such that authors in the journal make themselves available to undertake suitable peer reviewing tasks, minimising difficulties and delays in obtaining reviews.
  3. To support publication of high-quality research, and engagement with that research, such that population health is improved.[2]
  4. To create a forum for informed debate and discussion on matters of importance to the public health community.

The Population Health Journal will encourage a more inclusive and participatory academic environment through our peer reviewing model, thereby creating a community of practice. We will also contribute to a shift in power away from commercial publishers towards communities of practice by decommodification, removing profit from the journal, and by having no author or reader fees.

We are at the initial stages of creating the Population Health Journal, and as such there is an opportunity to shape its policies and approach. We intend to publish a range of article types in the Population Health Journal. The core criterion for publishing decisions will be whether the work is consequential: whether it matters for improving population health. This will include contributions within health improvement, health protection, healthcare public health, and all of the sciences which underpin them. We do not intend to publish articles primarily focused on the health of individuals, or on clinical interventions. 

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds including people from the Global South, people early in their career, and people with expertise across all domains and methods used in population health. In recruiting our editorial committee, we will seek to balance the group across these different aspects wherever possible.

The job description for editors is below. Applications should be emailed to Gerard.McCartney@glasgow.ac.uk by 10th December 2025 detailing the following on no more than 2 pages:

  • Your motivation for application
  • Your vision for the future contribution of the Population Health Journal
  • Your areas of methodological and topical expertise
  • Your academic record, including details of career stage and publications, and any other factors we should account for (e.g. caring responsibilities)
  • Your experience of peer reviewing and editorial work
  • Evidence of your ability to work as part of a collective
  • Evidence of your problem-solving ability and leadership
  • Explain how you will accommodate the workload

If you have any questions, please direct these to Gerry McCartney: (Gerard.McCartney@glasgow.ac.uk). We aim to make decisions on the applications within 8 weeks. 

Gerry McCartney, Margaret Douglas, David Walsh, Phil Mackie (initial editors of the Population Health Journal)

 

Editor job description

Term of appointment

Editors are being appointed for an initial three-year term. After this time, a recruitment process will take place for the next editorial committee from the pool of people who have contributed to the journal as editors, peer reviewers or authors (who will also form the electorate for future appointments). There will be the option of standing for re-election for further terms. Two places on the editorial committee will be reserved for University of Glasgow employees in order that the guarantor role of the University can be maintained.

Remuneration

The editorial positions are unpaid. We do not expect the editors to undertake tasks that will generate unpaid expenses. 

Values and behaviour

We expect editors to uphold and promote the values of the Population Health Journal and to behave with integrity and respect. The editorial team will adopt sociocracy principles, and we expect editors to participate fully in this approach.

Commitment

We anticipate that this role will require a minimum of 1-2 hours of work per week, but this is uncertain and is likely to vary over time. We expect applicants to commit to this role for at least the initial three-year term, with the understanding that circumstances can change and that this may not always be possible.

Responsibilities

  • Providing leadership to the journal.
  • Ensuring the highest standards of scientific integrity and ethics.
  • Contributing to the editorial collective, including attendance at meetings, completion of agreed tasks, participation in sociocratic decision-making processes, and providing collegiate support to other editors.
  • Drafting and editing policies and procedures for the journal.
  • Solving problems with journal processes as they arise.
  • Making decisions on whether submissions to the journal merit peer review and publication.
  • Identifying and commissioning suitable peer reviewers.
  • Evaluating peer review feedback and carefully managing the process of improving submissions to attain the highest quality and ethical standards.
  • Ensuring respectful dialogue between editors, reviewers and authors.
  • Ensuring consistent application of journal policies.
  • Writing editorials.
  • Commissioning relevant contributions to the journal.
  • Promotion of the journal and support the community of practice we are seeking to build.

 

References

[1] McCartney G, Popham F, McMaster R, Cumbers A. Defining health and health inequalities. Public Health 2019; 172: 22-30, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2019.03.023.  

[2] Galea S, Vaughan R. A Public Health of Consequence. American Journal of Public Health 2016; 106(1): 10-11, https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302954.